Holly Ponichtera '07

On April 14-15 in Thompson Arena, the top nine teams in the United States will compete for the national championship in two days of skating. The championship event represents the highest level of collegiate competition and is overseen by U.S. Figure Skating, the official governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States.

In a qualifying meet in Boston on the weekend of Feb. 17 and 18, Dartmouth came in first out of 17 teams, gliding by top rivals, Boston University and the University of Delaware. The team competes in a second meet in Delaware on March 4 to determine if it qualifies for the national championship.

As Vox goes to print, Midwest teams from Indiana University, Miami University of Ohio, and Michigan State have qualified for the national championships. Qualifying teams from the West division and East division, of which Dartmouth is a member, have yet to be determined.

The Dartmouth team is coached by Loren McGean '92 and her father, J. Michael McGean '49, the 1950 world ice dancing champion. "We're looking forward to defending a fourth consecutive title," says Loren McGean. "But we know it won't be an easy task."